About the Division of Museums and Historic Sites

The Division of Museums and Historic Sites collects and preserves the material culture of Wisconsin and interprets the state's history and prehistory for the public. The division fulfills its educational role through exhibitions, tours and a variety of public programs conducted at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison, and at historic sites and other venues throughout the state.

Wisconsin Historical Museum, 2010

Wisconsin Historical Museum

The division operates the Wisconsin Historical Museum, located on Madison's Capitol Square. The museum supervises the preservation and development of artifact collections, and operates an archaeology program under a cooperative agreement with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources. The building contains four floors of permanent and rotating exhibits, an orientation theater and a Museum store. Exhibits and programs document Wisconsin's history from prehistoric times to the present day, focusing on:

Education Programs

Museum Archaeology Program (MAP)

The Museum Archaeology Program (MAP) actively engages in the identification and preservation of Wisconsin’s cultural resources and has been an active field research branch of the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1958. Learn more by clicking the link below.

Statewide Historic Sites

The division's 11 historic sites promote tourism and provide for the comprehensive study, appreciation and enjoyment of Midwestern frontier history. The sites contain historic structures and visitor service buildings that reflect major themes of Wisconsin history, such as ethnic pioneer settlement, mining, farming, fur trade, exploration, transportation, rural life, and town development. The division operates 10 historic sites. Circus World is operated by the Circus World Museum Foundation.

Enlarge

Old World Wisconsin, 2008

Visitors to Old World Wisconsin experience an era of life on the farm during the late 19th century, when waves of immigrants came to America's heartland in search of a better life